Our Vision and Values

At Horsmonden we have developed a friendly, caring and thoughtful atmosphere. This had previously evolved through the use of the words “Kindness, Happiness, Success”. These we believe are integral to our school ethos, but we wanted to develop these words into some key values for the children to discuss in class with their teachers and to carry on into home life.

Together we will be using these values as a discourse throughout the school to create the vision that we have of an environment that is beneficial to all.

Vision:
“Together we will inspire a love of learning and help all children to achieve their personal goals, now and in the future.”

Values:

Aspiration
Our children are driven to fulfill their personal potential and have the confidence to achieve their goals.

Collaboration
We enjoy working together in groups, teams and as a whole school to achieve greater results.

Integrity
We believe in a clear moral framework and conduct ourselves with honesty, politeness and consideration for others.

Resilience
We have the ability and determination to learn from our mistakes and overcome setbacks.

Happiness
We like our learning to be fun and value the strong friendships we form at school.

Kindness
We always try to support the needs of others in our class, our school and our community.

Creativity
We encourage independent thinking and problem solving across the whole curriculum.

Respect
Underpinning everything is the value we place on our classmates, teachers, parents, the community, our environment and ourselves.

Promoting British Values

At Horsmonden Primary School we ensure that through our school vision, values, rules, curriculum and teaching we promote tolerance and respect for all cultures, faiths and lifestyles.

We have a duty to prepare our children for life in modern Britain and to keep them safe. We value the importance of the current Ofsted guidance:

.. should ensure that they and the school promote tolerance of and respect for people of all faiths (or those of no faith), cultures and lifestyles; and support and help, through their words, actions and influence within the school and more widely in the community, to prepare children and young people positively for life in modern Britain

As a school we value the diverse ethnic backgrounds of all pupils and families and undertake a variety of events and lessons to celebrate these. We have found this approach to be enriching for all parties as it teaches tolerance and respect for the differences in our community and the wider world. Underpinning this are a range of curriculum topics which have strong links to British History.

General overview:
In Key Stage 2 British history is taught chronologically through Years 3 to Year 5, starting with the Stone Age Periods then studied include The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain, Britain’s settlement by the Anglo Saxons and then the Viking and Norman struggle for the kingdom of England.

In Year 6, pupils undertake a topic about World War Two looking at the impact that the military had in fighting for the British Empire. This is linked with Remembrance Day commemorations where children purchase poppies and a two minutes silence is held.

As a whole school, we celebrate National and International events such as the World Cup, the Olympics and Para Olympics, with Olympic themed sports days, competitions to design sports kits and opportunities to learn about the history of Olympians in this country. We were also visited by Olympian Chris Cook who worked with the children on inspiration and aspiration.

We celebrate the work of the British Forces with the annual Red, White and Blue Day and other fund raising events.

On a general level, the school undertakes daily assemblies which uphold traditional values of empathy, respect and tolerance. These are also taught within formal PSHE, Citizenship and RE lessons and in an informal way throughout the school day.

British Values

Democracy:
Democracy is clearly evident within our school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council and pupil questionnaires and pupil conferences. The elections of House and Games Captains, as well as the winner of the class Star of the Week are based solely on pupil votes. Our school behaviour policy involves rewards which the pupils have discussed.

The Rule of Law:
The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police; Fire Service; Ambulance etc. are regular parts of our calendar and help reinforce this message. The concept of the Rule of Law is also reinforced through teaching activities in our citizenship curriculum.

Individual Liberty:
Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Whether it is through choice of challenge, how they record, lunch options, participation in extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices.

Mutual Respect:
Part of our school ethos and behaviour policy revolves around core values such as ‘Respect’, and pupils have been part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown. These ideas are reiterated through the school and classroom rules, as well as our behaviour policy.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:
This is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity, whilst recognising that the school is predominantly of one ethnic origin. Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying are regularly held. We follow the Kent Agreed syllabus for RE and use the Go Givers materials to enhance PSHE teaching.

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